Traitor
by Starkreactor
Summary: Set one year after the events in the movie Prince Caspian. On hold for now guys, sorry.
1. Invasion

"Shhhh.." Caspian put a finger up to his lips, signaling to the group of mice and single centaur that was with him. Glenstorm, the centaur, nodded, quietly sidestepping from the stone path and into the grass so his hooves wouldn't make as much noise. The mice, Reepicheep at their head, nodded, putting paws against their swords so that they would be completely silent.

There was a low rustle of wings as three griffins joined the throng, and Caspian turned back around, peering over the high wall. It was old, and entwined with ivy, but still as strong as the day it was built. He ducked his head quickly when a light came on in the castle ahead of them, but relaxed slightly when he realized that it wasn't a guard. He crouched, tensing and leaping high enough that he could grab the edge with his hands, pulling himself to perch on the wall. Reepicheep and his army of 11 mice followed, climbing skillfully up the craggy surface. They quickly skittered down the other side, moving unseen through the garden below them, even though Reepicheep's crimson feather bobbed this way and that as he ran.

Caspian had to hide a smile as he re-directed his attention to the situation at hand. One of the griffins, Delcar, took flight again, gripping Caspian's sides with gentle talons. His lion feet pulled Caspian's legs under his belly so that he was nearly invisible in the dim light. The two other griffins flew off around the castle, taking out guards on each tower.

Caspian looked with anxious eyes to see if the rest of his small army was in position. He saw Glenstorm gallop back to the forest to rally the rest of the centaurs, while a troop of ten minotaurs, Taurean at their head, lurked in the shadows behind the castle, ready to take down any survivors. This attack was not very difficult, but if anyone slipped it could mean casualties. Caspian had seen enough blood for his first year as king. This attack was vital however, because the last survivors of the Telmarine rebels were hiding out there. Spies had informed Caspian that one of them had been lifted up as the leader and was, for now, proclaiming himself the true king of Narnia in secret.

Delcar dove for the center tower, dropping Caspian's legs and then his arms as he set him down on the cold stone. He landed with little more sound than the rustle of his chain mail, and quickly made his way into the tower. He went down flights of stone steps before reaching the bottom and a large upper floor where many of the other towers opened into. Reepicheep was waiting for him, and the feisty animal filled him in.

"The castle guard has been taken care of sir, the leopards are watching the entrances, and the tigers are pacing the ramparts. We believe that the traitor is in his sleeping chamber, and alone." Caspian nodded, relieved that everything was going according to plan.

"And the centaurs and minotaurs?" he asked.

"Both at their stations."

"Good, thank you Reepicheep." The mouse made a sweeping bow, his crimson feather brushing the ground.

"Anything for my king."

" Where is the sleeping chamber?"

"Follow me, your highness."

Reepicheep made his way down more steps and corridors until they reached a wooden door. The mouse stepped out of Caspian's way and motioned toward the door with his paw. The king nodded, and slowly pushed the door open. The mice had already taken out the guards on the outside of the door and picked the lock, but there were guards on the inside of the room as well. Caspian drew a dagger, quickly and silently killing the guards on either side of the door. There, in the bed before them, lay a man, quite a bit older than Caspian, who had a rugged frame and a rough face. He was fast asleep. Caspian crept to the side of the bed, his dagger still ready. He grabbed the man's hair, jerking him awake, the dagger's blade pressed against his throat. "Don't move." Caspian commanded, letting the traitor realize what was going on. His eyes grew wide and he became very still, realizing what was against his throat.


	2. Escape

"What do you want?" The man asked, his voice choked with fear.

"Do you know who I am?" Caspian asked dangerously.

"I assume you are a very skilled thief or assassin. In that case, I hope you are a thief."

Caspian smiled, feeling a sense of triumph at the older man's fear.

"I am King Caspian the Tenth, ruler of all Narnia, and Emperor of the Lone Islands. And I have come to punish you and your men for your traitorous doings while fully aware of my kingship."

The man smiled. "Traitorous? Traitorous? _Traitorous_you call me? You sir, king or not, are mistaken."

Before Caspian could ask his hostage what he was talking about, Reepicheep leaped up onto the bed, drawing his rapier and shouting in a shrill voice, "If **you** sir would like to earn the king's mercy, or mine for that matter, you **will** treat his majesty with the up most respect due to his post!" The young mouse was quaking with fury from head to tail.

Caspian was grateful that it was dark in the room, for the warrior mouse would have surely been hurt by his involuntary amused expression. The man laughed.

"I mean no dis-respect, young mouse. To you or your king. I would certainly serve under and die for the true king. But this young man, no matter how well suited to the job, is not the true king. I am, and I am not just some fool fighting for the post."

"What makes you think, **sir**, -"

"Reepicheep, that is quite enough. However, you can tell **me** why you think this." Caspian said, cutting the mouse off. "Why do you believe yourself to be better suited to be king than I ?"

Caspian could feel the man cock his head before answering, "Isn't the firstborn always the heir to the throne?"

Before Caspian could answer, or even wonder what this man could be refering to, he felt a sharp pain in his side. Reepicheep gave a cry, and there was a heavy thud as Caspian's attacker fell dead to the floor. There was a sudden commotion as guards, unseen by Caspian's troop, burst into the room, grabbing their leader first, and then going for Caspian.

Caspian the Tenth would have perished that night if it was not for Reepacheep and his army. The mouse leader had called his group and it was only with their help that Caspian escaped. Unfortunately, so did many of the enemy, including their leader. One mouse and two leopards died during the surprise retaliation, and one of the centaurs had a broken leg.

When the commotion died down, Caspian's troop met outside of the castle, while Caspian himself was helped from the bedchamber and outside by one of the griffins and Reepacheep's loyal mice. An arrow was buried halfway up the shaft into Caspian's side, and there was no removing it until they got back to the camp. In the back of Caspian's mind, he was greatly disturbed on how they had been ambushed.

Half an hour into their journey back to the camp, Caspian passed out from blood loss.


	3. Dispersal

Ok guys, sorry it took me so long to post more, I was seriously considering just dropping the story, but I re-read the reviews and couldn't do it. : ) Thanks so much for the support and feedback, it has been very encouraging! Please please don't murder me in my sleep for this really short chapter!! doges flying fruit Ok, I deserve that, but I hope to have more up soon!!

--

Reepicheep stood outside the tent of his king, refusing to end his watch until he was sure Caspian would be ok. The old faun emerged after two hours, ready to report on the king's condition.

"He will live, though I am not sure how soon he will be able to fight. Aslan has been watching over him for him to have survived at all. It is a shame that queen Lucy's elixir has been lost to us, he could make great use of it just now."

"What will we do about the traitor?" the gruff voice of Taurean asked. "He obviously has more to him than we realized."

The faun sighed. "I don't know. If Caspian doesn't wake up and give you instructions within the next day or so, I suggest asking Trumpkin, he is in charge if something were to happen to the king."

Much to the camp's delight, Caspian was awake by noon the next day. He was still in bad shape, but he was strong enough to eat and give orders. A meeting was called in Caspian's tent of all his generals that evening.

"I don't like it, but I am afraid that I will have to ask you to resume the man hunt. I want the wounded back at Cair Paravel. I will have to join them." He added regretfully. "Taurean, I want you and your minotaurs to begin following scent trails along with the leopards. I want the griffins on air watch, rotate them every hour. Reepicheep, you and your mice will scour the tower, look for clues as to how they could have ambushed us. Once they are found, I want Glenstorm and the centaurs, as well as any available troops to keep them in one area until re-enforcements arrive. I don't want you attacking them in the numbers we have." Caspian bowed his head with sorrow. "We have lost enough already."

Each general bowed in respectful obedience and left the king to his thoughts. He was greatly troubled about how the attack had went, but even more so of the claim this man had made against him. His brother? But he was the only son, wasn't he? Caspian shook his head. He couldn't afford to have his head clogged with emotion. He had to think about tactics.

He had had every exit covered, and most of the guards had been killed; so how in Narnia had they called in reinforcements so quickly? Dark thoughts of magic suddenly poured through Caspian's mind like an icy wave, and he shuddered to think that they may have to confront much more than a simple rebel.

A sudden fear of the White Witch's return sprang up in his mind, but he pushed it aside. There had to be another explanation. "Oh Aslan," he prayed, "please let it be some other foe."


	4. Poison

Only a day later, Caspian was safe back at Cair Paravel, along with the wounded centaur. He hated being stuck there, but he figured he might as well do something useful. He headed for the library and stayed there, studying about the signs of dark magic, as well as family history. He couldn't get this man's claim out of his mind. A brother? How could this be? He couldn't believe that his father would have abandoned his eldest. But there were so many possibilities, capture, supposed death, lies. Caspian sighed, rubbing his aching side. Lies, maybe that was all this man had to offer.

But still, when he went to bed that night, his dreams were tormented with dark magic, and death.

_An Island, East of the Lone Islands-_

A woman stirred a boiling cauldron, the scarlet flames licking hungrily at the blackened metal. She was a sorceress, her flowing dress dyed black, a poisons green peeking between folds. She was not ugly, far from the witches you may think of. She was pale, and very beautiful, but not young. It was her magic that kept her appearance as though she were 30.

In the cauldron she could see Caspian's defeat, and she curled her lip back in an ugly satisfaction. **Her** son would not be forgotten. The plan was going well. The only weak part was that Caspian had survived. But that was minor. It could be fixed.

She strode away from her potion, eyes glowing as she thought of her victory, striding outside and into the night air. A struggling lily was blooming near her feet, and she noticed it with disgust. She walked away from it, and it promptly began to shrivel in her poisoned wake.

Her green eyes roamed the waters, hungrily straying in Narnia's direction.

She would do what her mother couldn't. She would hold Narnia forever.


End file.
